In a highly critical report on the management of adult diabetic services in the NHS, MPs also claim that patients face a postcode lottery of treatment.

Fewer than half of patients receive the recommended levels of care, including nine basic care checks which reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications such as blindness, amputation or kidney disease, the report found.

Progress in delivering the recommended standards of care has been "depressingly poor", the authors conclude.

Four fifths of the £3.9 billion spent every year on diabetes services in England is used to treat avoidable complications.

And if care does not improve the NHS will continue to incur "ever increasing costs", the committee said.

Every year, 24,000 people with diabetes die simply because their disease has not been effectively managed, MPs have said.

Patients with diabetes are not receiving the right care, MPs have warned Credit: PA Wire

According to the Public Accounts Committee, too many patients with diabetes are developing potentially life-threatening complications because they are not receiving the straightforward care and support they need.